1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an extendible crank of the type suitable for use on a fishing reel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the sport and business of fishing, fishermen utilize fishing rods equipped with reels upon which extended lengths of fishing line are wound. A fishing reel is mounted near the grip end of a fishing pole and the line is threaded through eyelets leading to the distal end of the pole. The fishing reel is equipped with a spool for taking up the line.
The spool of the reel is turned in rotation in a prescribed direction in order to wind the line onto the spool drum. Very typically the reel includes a releasable lock that prevents rotation of the spool in a direction that would unwind the fishing line from the spool drum. An internal pawl and rachet arrangement allows the fisherman to turn the spool in the winding direction only by means of a crank lever that is rotated about a crank arm axis in order to turn the spool in rotation and reel in the line.
When fishing with a conventional fishing reel during periods when there is little or no load on the fishing line, the operator of the device will normally prefer for the spool of the reel to be turned as rapidly as possible in order to retrieve the fishing line as quickly as possible. Therefore, a conventional fishing reel often employs a cranking apparatus having a very short lever arm so that minimal movement of the crank apparatus is required in order to rapidly reel in the line. However, such a cranking apparatus is disadvantageous when a large fish has been hooked, since the force exerted on the line by the fish requires the user to exert considerable power in order to reel in the fish. When the user is forced to exert a high degree of energy and work in reeling in the fish, the user becomes tired and is prone to make mistakes. This often results in a break in the fishing line, whereupon the fish escapes.
In an attempt to remedy this situation, fishing reels are sometimes provided with mechanisms to allow the user to operate the reel with an increased mechanical advantage. This may involve an alternative set of gears in the reel that can be engaged in order to allow the user to exert a greater reeling force with the expenditure of less energy than would otherwise be required. While multiple gear arrangements in a fishing reel do allow a user to operate the reel with a selected force, the use of multiple gear arrangements in a fishing reel decreases the speed at which the fishing line is retrieved.
Various attempts have been made to provide fishermen with an alternative system for obtaining a mechanical advantage in operating the reel. Several different arrangements have been devised with the purpose of extending the length of the fishing reel crank arm at the election of the user. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,193. This device discloses a fishing reel crank arm which is adjustable in effective length by means of an elongated slot in the fishing reel crank arm and a clamping screw that can be used to hold the free end of the crank arm upon which the crank arm handle is rotatably mounted, at a selected distance from the crank arm axis. However, this device, while theoretically operable in the manner intended, is simply not practical. This is because the time at which it is advantageous to switch from a short to a long lever crank arm occurs at the precise time when a fish has suddenly struck the bait and is exerting tension on the line. A device that requires loosening of a screw, sliding of the crank arm toward the crank arm axis, and retightening the screw, all while playing the fish on the end of the line, is impractical. The user simply cannot perform the necessary mechanical operations required to change the effective length of the crank arm while also holding the rod and manipulating it in the manner necessary to bring in the fish.
Another crank arm adjustment apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,616. This device also employs a slotted crank arm but relies upon an over-center toggle mechanism for yieldable retaining the slide bar in either of two alternative positions. Again, however, while theoretically workable, this device has the practical disadvantage of a likely unintentional operation and reversal of the toggle mechanism when in actual use. As a consequence, there is a considerable likelihood that this device will abruptly change from an adjustment in which the crank arm is extended to the alternative position while the user attempts to reel in a fish.